F1 2021 – spoilers here

This seems to have slipped under the radar
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.autosport.com/f1/news/vettel-hosts-women-only-karting-race-in-saudi-arabia/6843239/amp/

Wow! That’s brilliant, nice one Seb!

This seems to have slipped under the radar

Sky did a piece on it on Thursday iirc

Am I right in thinking of Merc get a 1-2 then they have the constructors (other permutations may exist)?

Fascinating qualifying though. Shows what fine margins we’re down to. And actually I think Lewis’s last lap was one of the quali laps of the year. He found over half a second over his first proper flying lap.

Max’s final lap was crap. Yes the first two sectors were mega but he crashed so mis-judged what the car had. Only RB could spin a crash as a piece of driving brilliance!

I think Lewis’s last lap was one of the quali laps of the year.

I’m pretty sure Lewis had to adjust his line in the last corner of his fastest lap, exactly the same corner where max binned it. As a wise man once said “To finish first, first you have to finish” (reads like Yoda, was actually Murray!)

Am I right in thinking of Merc get a 1-2 then they have the constructors (other permutations may exist)?

No. They are currently 5 points ahead. If they get 1-2 with fastest lap bonus, that will be 44 points. If Red Bull get 3rd and 4th, that will be 27 points, so that would give Merc a lead of 22 points. There are lots of permutations where Red Bull could outscore Merc by 23 points in the final race so quite likely that both championships will be decided then.

@thols2 – me being thick. Tired and full of cold! That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it…

Let’s go back to that incident where Verstappen forced Hamilton off the track a few races back. Hamilton was past, and in the right, but chose to avoid contact and had confidence he would ultimately get past.

What would Verstappen have done if the roles were reversed? He’d have driven with exactly the mindset that caused the incident in the first place, and there would have been contact.

What would Verstappen have done if the roles were reversed? He’d have driven with exactly the mindset that caused the incident in the first place, and there would have been contact.

I think the big problem there is that the stewards decision seemed to be that you have to “go down under contact to get the penalty” do the sensible thing and the dangerous driving gets rewarded.

do the sensible thing and the dangerous driving gets rewarded.

Like when Hamilton nerfed Verstappen off the track?

I find the double standards on here incredible

I find the double standards on here incredible

This thread has actually become very “tribal” in the same way football support exists. You just can’t expect any objectivity. It’s a bit depressing to see. I guess it has always existed to an extent in F1, but I can’t recall it being this bad. Maybe it’s just amplified in here.

I find the double standards on here incredible

A lot of the time it’s just best to avoid this thread when the love-in is getting whipped up into a frenzy

This thread has actually become very “tribal” in the same way football support exists. You just can’t expect any objectivity. It’s a bit depressing to see. I guess it has always existed to an extent in F1, but I can’t recall it being this bad. Maybe it’s just amplified in here

I don’t think it’s particularly tribal here.
There’s much worse elsewhere.

If you want to see F1 fans getting ridiculously tribal about little things try the Pistonheads forums 🤣

Like when Hamilton nerfed Verstappen off the track?

I find the double standards on here incredible

Exactly like that, Verstappen didn’t avoid the contact and Hamilton got punished, when Hamilton’s line was a lot less aggressive than the incident where Verstappen’s forced Hamilton off track, Hamilton did take avoiding action, resulting in no punishment.

Can you explain how you see my comments as a double standard?

Shoving it (half-arsed) up the inside of the 180mph Copse was less really less aggressive?

This thread has actually become very “tribal”

You really need to get out more. This thread, of all the F1 forums or discussions of this season that I know of,  is an oasis of calm and objectivity.

I think most of the perceived negativity towards Max is a mostly anti Red Bull stance. Their attitude this season plus the way they’ve treated drivers in the past kind of puts people off them.

As for being tribal here! Try looking at the comments on any F1 Faceache or Instagram news post! 🤣🤣

Reports that Max won’t be changing the gearbox, so starts 3rd. I’d hate to be the mechanic who signed that off, they’re gonna have a tense afternoon!

What would Verstappen have done if the roles were reversed? He’d have driven with exactly the mindset that caused the incident in the first place, and there would have been contact.

For a start I think MV would have done it very differently if he wasn’t ahead in the championship. If they both DNf that suits him fine, LH cannot afford for them both to go out, he has to finish (ahead)
LH has to play it safe, MV can afford to takes chances like that

F2 race red flagged before half a lap done.

Big accident at the start of the F2 feature race, one of the cars failed to get away before being hit from behind.

Cameras aren’t showing anything which isn’t a good sign. Fingers crossed.

That looked nasty. Hope the two drivers are OK. Always makes me a bit nervous when they cut away to ‘benign’ footage following a big one…

Edit – that said they’ve moved the two cars pretty quick so I’m assuming both drivers are OK. Wouldn’t move the drivers that quick if they were badly hurt I wouldn’t have thought

What a bit of a mess, the start of the F2 race now delayed until 2 minutes before the start of the F1 driver parade?

shambles

@nickc – I think it’s a bit harsh to call the effects of a serious accident a shambles…

you’re probably right @dannybgoode  Although, I question the wisdom of running an F2 race at a brand new fast track with solid barriers all the way around…Annnd an accident…

Edit: and Red flagged and abandoned

place your bets as to how many safety cars / vsc red flags in F1 session

Wow. But what was the Fittipaldi thinking, he would see from a distance that Pourchaire's car wasn't moving #SaudiArabiaGP ?? #F2 pic.twitter.com/4nGwAXAoal

— Anders M. Kristensen (@realThasanta) December 5, 2021

place your bets as to how many safety cars / vsc red flags in F1 session

Maybe it’ll be a shortened race with half points again

Both F2 drivers in hospital but sounds more serious for Fittipaldi. Unsurprisingly he apparently has leg injuries.

The F1 race is either going to be epic or an utter disaster. I’m hoping for the former!

The circuit though is interesting. After many years of sanitising every corner of every circuit they suddenly decide to design Suzuka with Monza speeds and walls instead of run off areas.

The big concern for me isn’t the case that hits the barrier by those that have nowhere to go to avoid the initial accident.

Are the F2 cars hybrids as well?

The F1 race is either going to be epic or an utter disaster. I’m hoping for the former!

Definitely hoping for the former but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there’s a red flag and a lot of waiting around for a restart while they clear up debris and rebuild the walls.

I see Red Bull are challenging the stewards decision not to penalise Hamilton for a supposed yellow flag infringement which the stewards reviewed and decided to take no action. I think Red Bull’s constant whinging and complaining about other teams is why so many people dislike them .

I thought they hadn’t? Helmut said they had, but the FIA and red bull press said they hadn’t?

I thought they hadn’t? Helmut said they had, but the FIA and red bull press said they hadn’t?

This

Something tells me this race is going to be either totally and utterly boring or complete and utter chaos.

Maybe it’ll be a shortened race with half points again.

Judging by the F2 races that’s a distinct possibility. I just hope everyone leaves here in one piece.

The F2 race was shortened due to the F1 schedule IIRC, no such issue with the main event.

Bets on what will happen?  Mine is its very unlikely the top 3 will all get round the first corner.  Leader out of the first corner wins the race

there will be at least one controversial stewards decision during the race

3 safety cars from unforced individual errors & a (really fast) procession.